STACK #184 Feb 2020

MUSIC REVIEWS

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Magic Dirt Life Was Better

Jack River Stranger Heart EP

Back in 1994, Magic Dirt were the Next Big Thing. Post-Nirvana, the major labels embraced alternative music and every label saw pay dirt in Magic Dirt. But the band remained fiercely independent on their second EP. Just check out the third track, Amoxycillin . It’s an attention-grabbing pop hit – followed by 10 minutes of feedback. Ah, the ’90s! Life Was Better, which sold 20,000 copies, has just been issued on vinyl for the first time. It shows a band that should have conquered the world. Adalita Srsen sits comfortably alongside Chrissy Amphlett – another Geelong export – as a rock goddess. And props to the band (and recording engineers Lindsay Gravina and Michael Alonso) for a potent guitar sound. (Emergency Music/Remote Control) Jeff Jenkins

Jack River’s Stranger Heart EP – the follow-up to her breakthrough debut album, Sugar Mountain – is appropriately released on Valentine’s Day. It’s a collection of songs about love, loving others, and learning to love yourself. “The heart is a lonely hunter,” Jack River (real name Holly Rankin) sings. “Will I come out alive?” Later, she declares, “Love sucks, but I want it from you,” and “I’m letting go of things I cannot show”. Stranger Heart is an immersive experience, with the vocals part of the electro mix. The result is haunting and hypnotic, but strangely inviting. “I want to know,” Jack River asks in Later Flight , “do you feel it?” And the answer is a resounding yes.

Dune Rats Hurry Up And Wait It’s the Year of the Rat, so it’s the perfect time for Dune Rats to follow their 2017 chart-topping album, The Kids Will Know It’s Bullshit . Now, there had been some disturbing rumours that Dune Rats were all grown-up and mature. Fortunately, Hurry Up And Wait proves they’re still potty-mouthed pop stars. The expletive-laden intro, a voice message from their

mate Bobby D, sets the scene for a rousing collection of party pop punk. “We got lots of bad habits, we do,” admits singer Danny Beusa, “Lots of bad habits to lose.” Bad Habits is followed by Stupid Is As Stupid Does and If My Bong Could Talk . But dismissing Dune Rats as dumb rockers would be selling them short. If Weezer were a bunch of Brisbane bogans they would sound like Dune Rats – and, yes, that’s a compliment. Hurry Up And Wait is a series of short, sharp jabs that will leave you punch-drunk but smiling – and their success shows that kids still wanna rock. No Plans is a glorious celebration of being in a band, then there’s the final track, Mountains Come And Go But Aussie Pub Rock Lives On (Forever) . This record is enormously entertaining. “Boring’s always dead, there’s a party in my head,” Beusa sings. Yep, it’s the Year of the Rat. (Ratbag/BMG) Jeff Jenkins

(I OH YOU) Jeff Jenkins

Exhorder Mourn The Southern Skies Exhorder will always be remembered for inspiring – or as many old schoolers will argue, being ripped off by – Pantera, as they transitioned into a heavier direction. It’s a weighty crown to wear because Exhorder were no slouches, and deserved more credit. After numerous reformations and false starts, Mourn The Southern Skies arrives after a 27-year-long wait, and simply put, it shreds. Exhorder tear through ten songs with pure belligerence and intent, making for a no-holds-barred thrash metal attack that should not be missed. If patience is a virtue, then Exhorder deserve a reward. (Nuclear Blast/Caroline) Simon Lukic

Helloween United Alive In Madrid United Alive In Madrid

celebrates the return of former members Michael Kiske (vocals) and Kai Hansen (vocals and guitars) to the Helloween fold. The announcement, made in 2016, was a huge event as Helloween were viewed as the would-be successors to Iron Maiden back in the '80s, but internal issues cut that short. The band pressed on as did Kiske and Hansen, but it was never the same. This live package celebrates this reunion by touching on all aspects of their career, and with three vocalists (Andy Deris rounds out the vocal attack) it makes for an authentic live representation of the power that is Helloween. (Nuclear Blast/Caroline) Simon Lukic

The Amity Affliction Everyone Loves You... Once You Leave Them Most bands mellow with age, but The Amity Affliction maintain the rage. With this, their seventh studio album, the band from Gympie, Queensland is shooting for their fifth chart-topper in a row. And Everyone Loves You… delivers, though it’s not for the faint of heart. It’s an aural

assault followed by moments of beauty – a thunderous mix of anger, alienation, darkness and hope. At the end of it, you’ll be emotionally drained. Soak Me In Bleach provides a neat summation of the album: “It comes in waves, it crushes me/ Yeah, it comes in waves and it crushes me.” Everyone Loves You… Once You Leave Them is the first blockbuster of 2020. (Warner) Jeff Jenkins

16 FEBRUARY 2020

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